Household waste recycling centre permits

We have operated a permit system since September 2016 to prevent the illegal deposit of commercial or trade waste at the sites. We also feel that it is unfair to ask West Berkshire Council tax payers to fund a service for residents living in other Local Authority areas.

We operate an online permit system. Our Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras can automatically recognise vehicles registered for an online permit. The online permit system means that we no longer need to print and post over 65,000 paper permits (and 3,000 additional or lost permits) every year, reducing the amount of paper printed by the council.

Who needs a permit

West Berkshire households must register for a permit to use both of our household waste and recycling centres (HWRC).You then need to book an appointment before you visit.

Non-residents cannot register for a permit, but they can access both of our HWRCs in a car by paying £9 per visit upon arrival. See our non-residents recycling centres page for more information.
 

We only accept household waste at our recycling centres. You are not allowed to recycle or dispose of commercial, trade or business waste at either of our HWRCs. Find out about what you can do with commercial waste here.

Types of permit

There are 3 types of permit: car permits, commercial type vehicle permits and a temporary one-day pass.

The permit you need will depend on the type of vehicle you use to take household waste to the recycling centre.

On the pages below we've explained each type of permit and how to register, as well as how non-residents can use our recycling centres.